Dec. 11, 2003 -- This year's nasty flu bug is now widespread in
Dec. 11, 2003 -- This year's nasty flu bug is now widespread in 24 states, the CDC's latest figures show. That's up from 13 states just one week ago.
Deaths are mounting. In the week ending Dec. 6, an estimated 7% of all U.S. deaths were caused by pneumonia and influenza. That's still below CDC's "epidemic threshold" of 7.6% for that week.
CDC uses the term epidemic when an illness causes far more deaths than would normally be expected for that time of year. Last year's flu season never passed the epidemic threshold; but it happened for nine weeks in the 2001-2002 season and for 10 weeks during the 2000-2001 season.
It may not yet be a national epidemic, but some areas are particularly hard hit. One is Pittsburgh, says Lawrence D. Ellis, MD, director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
"Our children's hospital is overwhelmed. It's seeing more cases this year than in the last several years combined," Ellis tells WebMD. "We are seeing a lot more adult cases too."
Ellis, who's been treating flu patients for 39 years, notes that the U.S. has between 20,000 and 40,000 flu deaths every year.
"If this maps out the way people think it will, we will see a lot more than that," he says.
Fujian Flu
This year's flu vaccine offers at least some protection against all of the flu strains causing illness this year. However, there may be somewhat less protection against one of the most predominant strains -- called Fujian variant. It's impossible to tell how much less protection until after the flu season is over.
The flu vaccine also protects against others flu strains that the CDC warns may emerge later this year.
